Need help understanding Civil War General Service cuff button

[Picket]

Hi, all. Trying to understand what the "general service" cuff button was during the Civil War. Little Bighorn national park this week said one was found there (photo below). I assume it was for a coat or vest. Were they used by both sides during the Civil War? Was the design used by US Army before the Civil War? Did it continue into the Indian Wars? Any info you have on this button, its use, etc. would be appreciated. Thx!

[rmilstead]

Phil,
I am afraid that I am away from home for the summer and, so, without all of my source books until I return there again in September. My comments are from memory (which has degraded at this point) so someone else hopefully will fill in the gaps and correct mistakes in the following.

The Federal general service buttons were generally just that and while I believe three sizes may have been made only two were commonly used on Federal uniforms right before and throughout the war., the medium (~3/4") and small (~1/2") sizes. The small size as you say were used as cuff buttons for uniform coats (e.g., Enlisted men's frock coats) and both at the cuff and down the front of the jackets (e.g., MSJ and VR jackets). They were also used on the capes of overcoats (Footman's and Mounted.) I don't believe there were any other items of Federal QM issue uniform clothing which used them although they were also used on some headgear (forage caps, Light Artillery caps, etc.) The buttons on enlisted men's clothing were not branch specific after 1857 and did not have a letter in the shield designating which branch the clothing was intended for (hence "general service"). Earlier, at least in the 1851 Regulations, a similar design was used but then the letter was present. The Federal army QM did not issue vests which were usually privately purchased either at home or from sutler's in garrison settings.

Button manufacturers were apparently not prohibited from selling the "government buttons" to private manufacturers, however. As such the same buttons were used on coats, jackets, and vests made for the "private purchase" market as well as by some State manufactories although those much more commonly used "State Seal" examples. There are also lots of examples of Confederate uniform clothing (e.g., jackets) with Federal eagle buttons. These most likely were field replacements but the CSQM may have actually "field gleaned" them for use in Clothing Bureau production. In addition, states which succeeded may have had stocks from US warehouses and arsenals taken by State governments at the start of the war.

It is my impression that the actual design of the button eagle in the stamping changed slightly in the 1870's but that it remained similar. I do not know when the style was changed, however. The buttons in your pictures actually look more like the slightly later style but I may be wrong there.

If anybody out there can correct my mistakes here or provide mor precise information, please "jump in."

Hope some of this helps,

Dick Milstead
The Company of Military Historians
Liberty Rifles

[Picket]

Thanks for the reply and info, Dick!

[Picket]

I may add a little bit of that to my blog post.